With shaky hands, Bob Rice opened one of the various plastic tall storage cabinets in his garage. Inside are a mix of wooden, plastic and shoe boxes. Some are labeled vintage spoons, forks and coins but that’s not what he is looking for. He scans his inventory with the thick lenses that he calls his glasses, but he eventually finds a box labeled knives.
He takes it out and, with his walker, shifts his weight over to the counter next to him. Rice looks through the box of vintage knives dating well over 100 years old and picks a few of them out with their own unique vintage designs ranging from flowers to line patterns. He likes knives the best; they are perfect for making rings. Making a high pitch-cutting sound, the belt saw Rice uses cuts around half the handle, holding the scraps for a later use and isolating the half that is decorated with a design. Now sharp as the blade he sawed off earlier, Rice smooths it out on a belt sander before he bends it into a size adjustable ring in less than 30 seconds. He then tosses it into a tumbler to get shiny.
Instead of relaxing in his retirement, Rice sells at The Main Line, an artisan goods shop located in downtown Graham. He also takes commissions. Over the past five years, Rice estimates that he’s made around $50,000 in profit from this side hustle. This uncommon hobby all started when Rice was casually surfing through videos on YouTube and fell upon someone making a miniature reindeer from a fork.
“So I said, ‘I got a few pieces,’” Rice said. “So I made a Rudolph, and it grew from that.”
Bob Rice works on attaching clasps on bracelets made from spoon handles. Rice takes commission orders but also sells at The Main Line, located at 134 N. Main St. in Graham.
“Grew” is an understatement. It exploded.
Elon alum 61’ Bob towers at 6’5, his walker barely half his size. He has hearing aids in both ears and wispy white hair barely covering the top of his head. He wears a life alert bracelet on his right wrist.
He is turning 92 in February.
The People Pleaser
Rice and his wife, Racine, had worked at AT&T for 18 years before being offered early retirement in 1989 when Bob was 58. With an unexpected retirement, Bob got into woodworking to kill time. He said those skills helped him pick up silverware art fast. Despite not having formal training, he learned quickly the art of silverware repurposing by watching YouTube videos and then from there developed his own style.
Bob gets most of his supplies from eBay. He said his creations can be dated to over 100 years old and he has enough inventory — around 400 to 500 pieces — to continue making rings. He has cabinets full of silverware awaiting transformation in addition to drawers filled to the rim of jewelry ready to be put on shelves.
“I like to do it,” Bob said. “I like to please people.”
One of Bob’s most popular items, especially during Christmas, are guardian angels made from silverware. Whenever he is making an angel, ring, bracelet or others — nothing goes to waste. He will repurpose the excess metal scrapings and turn them into earrings or pendants. He uses coins to make jewelry. The man has made letter openers, ornaments and bolo ties all from silverware.
Including the necklace that rests on Racine’s chest.
“This was made from a bracelet that my father gave me when I was in high school,” Racine said. “It was broken, of course and not usable, but I had saved it. And Bob took that off of it, put it on here.”
High School Sweethearts
Native to Burlington, Bob and Racine had their first date in Whitley Auditorium. They had two tickets to see Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venus.” Bob was the basketball star at Williams High School, but despite his local fame, he only had eyes for Racine.
He was a senior and she was a junior. He saw her during study hall only in passing. She sat in his seat in the class before him, but that didn’t stop Bob from asking her out. They got married on Thanksgiving Day in 1954; it was a small ceremony with only immediate family.
This upcoming Thanksgiving will mark their 70th marriage anniversary.
Bob and Racine’s daughter, Carrie Gumbrecht, said her father had always been “gruff” or the “fix it” type of man, but when it came to Racine, he had always been tender.
“It’s a model that you don’t see that much anymore,” Gumbrecht said. “I’m very fortunate to have had my parents for all of my life.”
Bob said Racine and Gumbrecht are his best salespeople.
Gumbrecht loves to wear his jewelry and said she gets compliments when she wears it out. This back-door sales model has gotten Bob numerous commissions, but to Gumbrecht it’s more than just that. It’s her father’s legacy, and she said every time she looks at what he has made for her, it will remind her of him, even when he is gone.
The Old Man
Bob built a hydraulic press a year ago to mold designs like a starfish into his silverware creations. He said stainless steel is no good because it is almost impossible to drill holes into. He mainly uses silver-plated metal, but he also has a small inventory of sterling silver, even though he doesn’t come across it often.
He said he likes doing this pastime because it keeps his mind active.
He can’t keep this hobby up forever.
“He is slowing down,” Gumbrecht said. “The last year I have seen a big difference, but his mind is still sharp. He’s always thinking about and looking up silverware sites.”
Thinking now about his age, Bob pauses for a moment. “I don’t know how long, much longer I can keep it up, to tell you the truth.”
In the beginning of September, the tumbler — which he made himself — had finished rolling and Bob was ready to see his shiny treasure. After a misstep trying to reach his walker, he had fallen, shards of rocks and jewelry scattered all over the garage floor. With Gumbrecht inside, he hollered for help, but no one responded. He ended up laying there for a few hours before a neighbor ran to the rescue.
With an inventory to last at least 10 years, technically Bob could stop, but he doesn’t want to.
Instead, Bob sits back down at his work desk, grabs a set of pliers, and moves on to manufacturing the next creation.